5.3.3

Power Relationships

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Power Relationships

The relationship between those with and without power can be different depending on the group involved. The state may exert power different in relation to particular groups, such as woman, the working class or the young.

Power and age

Power and age

  • People under the age of 18 are expected to attend full-time education/training, or be suitably educated at home, or in alternative provision; this is a legal requirement.
  • Young people also have restrictions placed on them, for example they aren’t permitted to buy alcohol or cigarettes.
Marxist views of power relationships

Marxist views of power relationships

  • Marxism argues that power is unequally distributed and that the working classes are treated more harshly than the middle-classes.
  • They point to instances where so-called working-class crimes, such as theft and benefit fraud, are treated more severely by the courts than ‘white-collar’ crime such as corporate fraud and tax evasion.
Everyday power relationships

Everyday power relationships

  • Power can be exercised in relationships between people in everyday settings such as the home, workplaces and classrooms.
  • People enter into power relationships when they try to control or influence other people’s behaviour, or when others try to control them.
Inequalities

Inequalities

  • Power relationships operate when there are inequalities in power between individuals and groups.
  • For example, between children and parents, students and teachers, and the public and the police.

Walby on Patriarchy

Sylvia Walby (1990) defined patriarchy as a system of social structures and practices in which men dominate and exploit women, and highlighted six patriarchal structures.

Paid employment
  1. Paid employment:
    • Women typically earn less than men and are excluded from better types of paid work.
The household

The household

  1. The household:
    • Husbands and partners exploit women by benefiting from their unpaid labour at home.
Culture

Culture

  1. Culture:
    • Culture differentiates between masculinity and femininity, which is defined as being sexually attractive to men.
Sexuality

Sexuality

  1. Sexuality:
    • The double standard is an aspect of male dominance; sexually active women may be viewed negatively while sexually active men are admired.
Violence

Violence

  1. Male violence against women:
    • Male violence affects women’s actions in the form of power over them.
The state

The state

  1. The state:
    • State policies are biased towards patriarchal interests.
    • There has been little effort to improve women’s position in the public sphere, including the workplace.
Jump to other topics
1

The Sociological Approach

1.1

Introduction to Sociology

1.1.1What is Sociology?1.1.2Culture & Socialisation
1.2

Sociological Approaches

1.2.1Marxism1.2.2Marxism 21.2.3Functionalism1.2.4Feminism
1.3

The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate

1.3.1The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate1.3.2End of Topic Test - The Sociological Approach
2

Families

2.1

Functions of Families

2.1.1Functionalist Views on Family2.1.2Marxist Views on Family2.1.3Feminist Views on Family
2.2

Family Forms

2.2.1What is a Family?2.2.2Nuclear Family2.2.3Families in a Global Context2.2.4The Rapoports & Family Diversity2.2.5Causes of Family Diversity2.2.6End of Topic Test - Family Forms
2.3

Conjugal Role Relationships

2.3.1Conjugal Roles
2.4

Changing Relationships Within Families

2.4.1Timeline2.4.2Domestic Abuse2.4.3Symmetrical Family
2.5

Criticisms of Families

2.5.1Functionalist Views of Families2.5.2Marxist Views of Families2.5.3Feminist Views of Families2.5.4Declining Marriage Rate2.5.5End of Topic Test - Criticisms of Families
2.6

Divorce

2.6.1Reasons For Rise in Divorce Rate2.6.2Consequences of Divorce2.6.3Functionalist Views2.6.4Marxist Views2.6.5Feminist Views2.6.6End of Topic Test - Divorce
3

Education

3.1

Roles & Functions of Education

3.1.1The Functionalist Approach3.1.2Evaluating Different Perspectives3.1.3Types of School3.1.4Alternative Education3.1.5State & Private Schools
3.2

Processes Within Schools

3.2.1Internal Processes3.2.2External Processes
3.3

Educational Achievement

3.3.1Measuring Educational Success3.3.2Social Class & Education3.3.3Social Class & External Factors3.3.4Gender & Education3.3.5Ethnicity & Education3.3.6Parental Choice3.3.7History of UK Education Policy3.3.8Recent UK Education Policy3.3.9End of Topic Test - Education
4

Crime & Deviance

4.1

The Social Construction of Crime

4.1.1Defining Crime & Deviance4.1.2Sociological Explanations of Crime4.1.3Interactionist Explanations of Crime4.1.4Alternative Explanations of Crime
4.2

Social Control

4.2.1Informal Social Control4.2.2Formal Social Control4.2.3End of Topic Test - Social Construction of Crime
4.3

Criminal & Deviant Behaviour

4.3.1Explanations of Crime4.3.2Social Class & Crime4.3.3Gender & Crime4.3.4Ethnicity & Crime4.3.5Age & Crime4.3.6Criminal Responsibility4.3.7The Prison System4.3.8Media Reporting of Crime4.3.9Functionalist Explanations of Crime
4.4

Data on Crime

4.4.1Measuring Crime4.4.2End of Topic Test - Criminal & Deviant Behaviour
5

Social Stratification

5.1

Social Stratification

5.1.1What is Social Stratification?5.1.2Functionalism5.1.3Socio-Economic Class5.1.4Socio-Economic Class 25.1.5Life Chances5.1.6The Affluent Worker5.1.7End of Topic Test - Social Stratifictaion
5.2

Poverty as a Social Issue

5.2.1Defining Poverty5.2.2Factors Affecting Poverty5.2.3Explanations of Poverty5.2.4Impact of Globalisation5.2.5End of Topic Test - Poverty as a Social Issue
5.3

Power & Authority

5.3.1Weber5.3.2Sociological Perspectives5.3.3Power Relationships5.3.4End of Topic Test - Power & Authority
6

Sociological Research Methods

6.1

Research Methods

6.1.1Research Design6.1.2The Scientific Method6.1.3Other Considerations6.1.4Primary Sources6.1.5Secondary Sources6.1.6Surveys6.1.7Sampling6.1.8Questionnaires6.1.9Interviews6.1.10Observation6.1.11Statistics6.1.12Case Studies6.1.13Longitudinal Studies6.1.14Ethnography6.1.15Experiments6.1.16Small Scale Research6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods

Practice questions on Power Relationships

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  1. 1
    Examples of power relationships: Fill in the list
  2. 2
    How many patriarchal structures did Sylvia Walby (1990) identify? Multiple choice
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Sociological Perspectives

End of Topic Test - Power & Authority